Turbine Sprint Car - Those Were The Days

About the only similarity between this unique Sprint Car and its modern counterparts is that at 1,100 pounds, they weigh about the same. After that, forget it!

It may come as a surprise, but this modern racer has its roots in the late 1970s with the Arizona-native Steve Bolan. Bolan, a corporate pilot and motion picture special effects expert, wanted to create a turbine-powered Sprint Car, and this little red racer is the product of that vision. Bolan found his inspiration in Parnelli Jones' STP turbine-powered IndyCar that was leading the 1967 Indy 500 with just three laps to go when a $6 bearing failed and caused the engine to quit. Finding the whole idea of turbine-powered racers fascinating, Bolan asked himself why not put a smaller turbine in a Sprint Car? Why not indeed!

Building a Sprint Car from scratch is a tall enough order, but one powered by a turbine engine seems to be off the charts. Before the car would come to fruition, Steve had to learn the ins and outs of standard Sprint Cars--which he did from the driver seat. Wheeling Sprinters around Arizona, it didn't take long for him to realize that the powerful engine in the cars allowed them to fly down the straights, but they often got completely out of control on the turns. Bolan theorized, fairly accurately, that it came down to the fact that the power was planted to a small patch of rubber on the right rear, generating a battle of sorts between the forces that pushed the car toward the fence and those working to keep the car on the track. If everything isn't just right in the setup, the wall usually wins. When it was all said and done, Bolan ended up getting himself pretty well beat up.

It was through these experiences that Bolan's creative mind visualized a completely new Sprint Car design; one that had two characteristics he felt the racers should possess. First, he believed the car needed to be four-wheel-drive, to increase traction. Second, he wanted the driver sitting in a prone position, so that he or she could better absorb crashes.

He explained, "At most tracks, there is more time spent in the turns, so I designed the car for higher corner speeds. It proved itself at Phoenix where it was a rocket through the turns."

Enter noted designer Bill Hite, whom Bolan commissioned to come up with his racer's design. John Mueller and Larry Burton were also brought in to turn the concept into a steel and fiberglass creation. What evolved was this striking Wineberry Red car that looked far advanced for the time period. With its stance and clean aerodynamics, it definitely has more of an IndyCar look than that of a Sprinter.

Bolan's wild machine has no clutch or transmission, and braking is accomplished by six disc brakes--four of which are positioned on the front tires. The engine roars to life with the help of an external battery pack, so a traditional push-truck is not needed. But turbine powerplant aside, some similarities can be found between Bolan's racer and a standard Sprint Car. The frame, for instance, was constructed of tubular chrome-moly. It also has an aluminum bellypan, fiberglass body, and coilover shocks--with dampers--on all four corners.

Bolan pointed out one particularly interesting characteristic of the unique race car. "The power curve of the engine was quite different from a regular internal combustion engine," he said. "There was a ton of power low in the powerband which was really effective on a restart, but practically no throttle response at speed."

Something you won't find in a traditional Sprinter is a knob on the steering wheel that increases the engine boost with a water/alcohol injection, which makes the 150-pound Allison 320-B engine capable of about 500 horses. In addition to scrambling to keep everything perking, the car had no power steering. "It was a real wrestling match with 500 hp going through the front wheels."

The car was on the track about half a dozen times, and its first competitive effort was in the Pikes Peak Hill climb in 1981. Bolan and his car set a new class record in that first race. A year later, he attempted to enter the car in a World of Outlaws race in Springfield, Illinois, but the sanction's president at the time, Ted Johnson, wouldn't allow it.

Bolan's next run on the asphalt was on the quarter-mile track of the Little 500, located at the Anderson (IN) Speedway. It qualified at eighth, and ran mid-pack until the race was called for rain.

The Sprinter ended its career at the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Speedway, where it raced several times. Bolan's best lap around the 1-mile track was 123.035. In 1983, Bolan ran out of fuel on a yellow at the Copper World Classic, which took him way down from his second place position. He believes that the car would have had a chance to win, had it not been for the 20 extra laps of yellow.

The car is currently owned by Open Wheel collector Bob McConnell of western Ohio, who has brought it back to concours condition.